Sony, on the other hand, needs to get it together in
regards to far-reaching backward compatibility.
Though PlayStation 5 will run PS4 games, potential
out-of-the-box compatibility with older console
games is still a mystery.
You could sign up for the $9.99-per-month
PlayStation Now, which lets you stream more than
800 PS4, PS3, and PS2 games to a PlayStation 4
console or PC. Or you could download more than
300 PS4 games to a PlayStation 4 console.
PlayStation Now isn’t the ideal way to handle
backward compatibility. It has a monthly
subscription and zero original PlayStation titles.
And streaming retro games isn’t the answer to
backward compatibility, as titles beamed to your
home aren’t as reliable as games stored locally,
whether via disc or digital download. Sony really
needs to step it up next gen, in this regard.
MORE CROSS-PLATFORM PLAY
The crumbling of the online walls that separate
people playing the same game has been this console
generation’s most underappreciated aspect. The
current generation didn’t begin with this cross-
platform play (or “crossplay”) luxury. It took hard
game-publisher work to get the online gatekeepers
onboard with the idea, particularly Sony.
Now, Fortnite, Rocket League, Smite, and other
titles let PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC gamers
duke it out in heated competition. In fact,
NetherRealm Studios is testing crossplay (or
“krossplay”) between PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
Mortal Kombat 11 players.
@jeffreylwilson
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